FAQ

It has to do with the poor reception of this movie. Audiences and critics alike expressed their disdain for the film due to its confusing and haphazard narrative and the choice of abandoning the plot points and the tone of the first Cars film. Where the first film was a light-hearted movie, this one is a complex story with James Bond-esque spy thriller thrown in which was too mature for young audiences. Also, the choice of making Mater the protagonist and not Lightning McQueen was extremely divisive as many thought he is not quite a protagonist-type character, but rather works as a sidekick to McQueen. After the negative audience and critical reception of this movie, the production seemingly chose to abandon the plot points of Cars 2 for the new sequel and went back to basics.

Cars 2 was made in stereoscopic 3-D. The film was a full 3-D production from its conception on through to the finished product.

The short subject presentation that plays before Cars 2 is the first in Pixar's "Toy Story Toons" entitled "Hawaiian Vacation":

"Bonnie is going to Hawaii, and Ken and Barbie are going along for the ride for a romantic getaway. But due to a miscalculation on Ken's part, He and Barbie end up left behind in Bonnie's bedroom. Now it's all up to Woody, Buzz, and the gang to try to salvage Ken and Barbie's vacation plans."

Car and Driver magazine identifies many of the models in this article:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-vehicles-of-cars-2

The Pixar Wiki also has a list of characters, and many of the articles list what kind of model it was based on:

http://pixar.wikia.com/Category:Cars_2_Characters