What Are Cars?

A car is a four-wheeled vehicle designed for passenger transportation and powered by an internal combustion engine using a volatile fuel. They are considered a vital part of the modern economy. Many cars are fueled by gasoline, but electric and hybrid cars are also becoming popular. Some vehicles run on alternative fuels such as ethanol or biodiesel. Many countries regulate the use of automobiles by requiring seat belts, airbags and other safety features. Cars are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and a lot of effort is spent on improving their efficiency.

Several real-life racing legends make appearances in the Cars universe. The king of the track, McQueen, is voiced by Owen Wilson and takes design cues from the NASCAR stock cars he races, as well as the Porsche 911 and Ford GT40. The legendary Richard Petty makes a cameo as his own bright blue Plymouth Superbird in the film’s final scene. And the movie’s bad guy, Miles Axlerod is modeled after the Land Rover Defender 90. Finn McMissile, the movie’s silver spy car, takes his looks from none other than James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5.

But even without human people there are still plenty of reasons why the Cars universe is like ours. For example, if something killed off most humans and left the remaining ones to spend all their time inside their cars, it would explain why they have the same exact human culture, language and traditions. It would also explain why the doors are never open, why there’s no convertibles with their tops down and why the sentient cars have massive, distorted-looking human eyes (irises) in their windshields.