Miles Axlerod is one of the characters of Cars 2. He is an oil baron, inventor of Allinol, brainchild of the World Grand Prix and secretly the leader of the Lemons criminal group.
Axlerod is a filthy rich oil tycoon. However, he appears to have decided to use his powers (and trunkful of money) to make the world a better place. An environmental campaigner, Miles has converted to electricity and is promoting Allinol, a cheap and safe eco-friendly fuel.
Miles Axlerod used to be a gas guzzler, but now, he is customized to within an inch of his life to be environmentally friendly. The wire coils in his wheels are connected to an electric battery, and he even has a solar panel on his roof.
Miles created the World Grand Prix to demonstrate the power of Allinol. All the race cars, including Lightning McQueen, are using it.
He is more evil than eco-friendly and is behind an elaborate plot to destroy race cars and discredit Allinol forever, so he can get rich from oil again.
"Axlerod is a former oil baron who has sold off his fortune, converted himself into an electric vehicle and has devoted his life to finding the renewable, clean-burning energy source of the future—ultimately discovering what he believes is the fuel everyone should be using. Axlerod is also the car behind the World Grand Prix, a three-country race he created that attracts the world’s top athletes—but it's really an excuse to show off his new wonder-fuel, Allinol."[1]
Background[]
Not much is known about Sir Miles Axlerod's past, he was a car and the CEO of Axlerod Industries, later some cars mocked his model and later he wanted to take revenge against the carkind. But according to Mel Dorado, he has been known by the world for trying to traveling around without using a GPS, but in doing so, is thought to be dead when he runs out of fuel and comes into a rainforest. He eventually emerges more than a month later, using a fuel that is said to be made out of the natural elements. He is then reported to have sold his oil company, switched to an electric car, and invents a clean-burning fuel named Allinol. To try and get the world to use alternative energy, he creates a international racing competition called the World Grand Prix, inviting race cars from around the world to determine who is the world's fastest car.
Cars 2[]
Though at first Professor Zündapp appears to be the main villain and the leader of the lemon cars, it is revealed near the end of the film by Mater that Axlerod is actually the mastermind of the entire plot. His supposed "alternative fuel" was actually gasoline engineered to explode when hit with an electromagnetic pulse and was part of a plot to turn the world against alternative energy and have them rely on gasoline, bringing profits to the lemons and himself due to the fact that they own the largest untapped oil reserves in the world.
At the opening ceremony in Tokyo, one day before the first race, Axlerod goes on stage to introduce the World Grand Prix racers to the press. While Axlerod is introducing McQueen, Mater suddenly rushes to the fountain behind them, having eaten too much wasabi. Feeling embarrassed, McQueen tries to explain to Axlerod about Mater, but Axlerod seems glad, as he thanks Mater for calling into the Mel Dorado Show. However, Axlerod leaks some oil beneath him and Mater, which it is immediately thought that Mater had leaked oil (being the car equivalent of urinating). While McQueen scolds Mater and orders him to take care of himself, Axlerod gets a member of staff to clean the oil up. Later, Zündapp calls Axlerod to inform him that Redline passed down secret information. The first race starts as usual, but throughout the whole race, three racers get their engines blown, leading the press to believe that Allinol might be the reason why. Axlerod dismisses this to the press, saying that his fuel would have nothing to do with it.
In the next day, after a chase in the Tokyo Airport by Grem and Acer, in Siddeley, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell check the file of the late Rod "Torque" Redline that sent secretly to Mater which contains the leaked engine of the Lemons' secret mastermind (Which is later revealed to be from Axlerod), there Mater confirms that is one of the worst engines ever made, It's an old aluminium V8 with a Lucas electrical system and Whitworth bolts. After a deep investigation, McMissile saw that one of his parts, which are made by the brand British Wheeland, can be sold by a dealer that is a friend of him named Tomber (which is secretly his informant). In Paris, after a chase between Tomber and McMissile, he gives Mater, Finn and Holley crucial information about the photo, the most important being that Tomber reveals that he gave him another clutch assembly and that the next meeting was in two days in Porto Corsa, right on the day of the race.
In Porto Corsa, where the second race is taking place, Axlerod speaks to the press to answer their questions about the safety of Allinol. He informs them that scientists have been examining it, and have proved that it is completely safe. However, throughout the race and unbeknownst to the public, Axlerod gives a speech to his fellow Lemons in his secret meeting with his henchmen. He tells how cars made fun of him and the Lemons, while a couple more of the racers' engines explode, which makes the fans believe once again that Allinol is responsible, and begin to go against it. It only gets worse when one of the racers, Shu Todoroki, skids out of control after his engine explodes, causing a huge pile-up with four other racers. "Hearing" what had happened, Axlerod rushes to the press in his public persona and informs that the last race in London will still be held, but will no longer require the racers to use Allinol, having decided not to risk any more lives in a attempt to cover his tracks. However, McQueen decides to use Allinol, not believing that that kind of crash would happen at all, which causes to Axlerod tell to his lieutenant Zündapp to kill McQueen.
Just before the last race, Axlerod comes to the pits to thank McQueen for his decision, telling him to show everyone that Allinol is safe. As the race starts, Axlerod stands outside Buckingham Palace with the Queen and Prince Wheeliam. The race turns out well, but soon everyone notices Mater going onto the track while McQueen chases him.
Eventually, Axlerod arranges for Zündapp and the lemon cars to plant a bomb on Mater as a backup plan to kill Lightning McQueen. Later, Mater discovers the story about the conspiracy after helping Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell arrest Zündapp, the lemon cars. By confronting Sir Axlerod for it, his suspicions are confirmed when Axlerod deactivates the bomb with a voice command in order to keep the bomb from killing himself. To proceed further, Mater opens Axlerod's hood, revealing the same engine (a Rover V8) as the unseen mastermind depicted in the photo, which Finn and Holley obtained from their American counterpart earlier, proving to be a perfect match. It is not told what happened to Axlerod after having his plot exposed, but it can be implied that in the end of the movie, he is arrested on the charges of conspiracy to commit crime, murder and embezzlement, since he is last seen being surrounded by several police cars.
Cars 3[]
Axlerod is a collectible on Sterling's glass shelf
Miles Axlerod never appears in a physical appearance for Cars 3, noting that he is still in prison. However, he does appear in a cameo appearance for a photo of him appears on Sterling's shelves, which possibly signifies that Sterling (who otherwise never appeared) knew him before his arrest.
Personality[]
Charming as he seems, Miles Axlerod is a villain. He is ruthless, greedy, deceptive and very manipulative. Miles is also clearly a smart thinker, as he had thought the entire plan to get rid of Allinol through, as he set everything up to make him look like an innocent car.
Trivia[]
His license plate is ALT NRG, an abbreviation of "alternative energy." However, before his "electric conversion" (ultimately a lie), he does not appear to have a license plate at all.
Miles' tires' texture repeats a leaf-shaped motif.
If one looks closely at his front wheels, they can see the words "REGEN R8," meaning "Regenerate."
Miles uses a lot of parts made by "British Wheeland" to keep himself going. "British Wheeland" is a parody of British Leyland, which produced both the Range Rover and the notoriously unstable V-8 engine that powered them. Even the logo was a parody of British Leyland's, using a big bold printed W instead of the big bold
Miles Axlerod emerges from the jungle from Up.
printed L. Mater states truthfully that B.L. made parts that will not fit on other cars because of them not using standardized bolts.
Mater states that Miles' engine is "an old aluminum V8 with a Lucius electrical system and Whitworth bolts".
The jungle Miles gets lost in before he converts to an electric vehicle is the jungle from the film, Up.
The DVD commentary for Cars 2 states that the climax where Mater confronts Axlerod at Buckingham Palace over the plot to sabotage the World Grand Prix came rather early in production, so the Pixar team went backwards from there to make Axlerod the ultimate good guy and someone else the bad guy, so that when it got up to the climax, everyone could see how brilliant Mater was in figuring out the whole thing.
Before coming up with Axlerod, Pixar had considered a Russian super car as the main villain.
Axlerod's name apparently originated from an old joke his voice actor Eddie Izzard actually once told concerning the invention of the wheel and axle.[citation needed]
Axlerod's voice actor also played Nigel the koala from The Wild.
Quotes[]
Miles Axlerod: "Ah! He's a little excited, isn't he?" Lightning McQueen: "Mater!" Mater: "But wait, I... Oh, shoot!" Lightning McQueen: "Mater!" Miles Axlerod: "Has anyone got a towel?" Lightning McQueen: "Mater, you have to get a hold of yourself! You're making a scene!" Mater: "But I never leak oil. Never." Lightning McQueen: "Go take care of yourself right now!"
—When he was leaking oil and blamed Mater for it.
Lightning McQueen: "Sir Axlerod." Miles Axlerod: "I'm sorry to interrupt." Lightning McQueen: "No, no. It - it's all right." Miles Axlerod: "I just wanted to come down here, and to personally thank you. Because after Italy, I was finished, and then you gave me one last shot." Lightning McQueen: "Listen, I..." Miles Axlerod: "I probably shouldn't be saying this at all, but I hope you win today. You show the world that they've been wrong about allinol." Sally Carrera: "Mater would want you to race." Lightning McQueen: "All right. For Mater."
—Miles "thanks" Lightning for deciding to use Allinol for the race in London.
"Deactivate!!"
"How did the tow truck figure it out?" (Axlerod's last words before his arrest)
Gallery[]
Miles Axlerod before his "conversion".
Miles Axlerod is missing!
The new and improved Miles Axlerod after he returned from his discovery of allinol.
