Mater runs "Tow Mater Towing and Salvage." Along with Pixar Cars movie, Tow Mater also stars in an animated short, Mater and the Ghostlight, and acts as an announcer in the Cars video game. He speaks with a thick Southern accent with a bit of hillbilly twang, and often misspells words or uses incorrect syntax.
Mater is also the (self-proclaimed) world champion backwards driver. He attributes his skill to his rear-view mirrors and his own philosophy: "Don't need to know where I'm going, just need to know where I've been."
In the movie, Mater befriends and supports Lightning throughout his adventure in Radiator Springs.
In the end, McQueen gives Mater an opportunity to fly in a Dinoco helicopter like he always wanted. His name is a pun on "tomato" as pronounced in his accent (when introducing himself to Lightning, he says, "My name's Mater, as in tuh-mater but without the 'tuh'").
Gudmund, an 80's rally car from Sweden that bears a resemblance to the Audi Quattro, meets Lightning in Ornament Valley.
Other new characters are Otto, a Germany tuner car who doesn't understand the concept of speed limits, Koji, a Japanese drift car who has perfected drifting to a science and can speak a little English, and Giovanni, a tough-looking but very nice Ferrari from Italy.
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