In the wake of his big win at the Piston Cup, famous race car Lightning McQueen is ready to take on the world's fastest cars in the inaugural World Grand Prix. The competition is set to span three countries and shine the spotlight on a new environmentally-friendly fuel, Allinol. McQueen invites his old friend Mater along for the journey, hoping for a chance to prove he's the fastest car on a global stage.

The excitement of racing mixes with international intrigue as Mater gets entangled in an undercover espionage mission. Mistaken for a spy by British intelligence vehicles Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell, Mater inadvertently lands in the world of international espionage. As the World Grand Prix races from Japan to Italy to England, Mater is swept up in an adventure that runs parallel to McQueen's racing ambitions, challenging their friendship and testing Mater's mettle in unexpected ways.