| “ | Life is short and cruel, Sparky. Who cares what the other cars think? Live for today! | „ |
| ~ Diesel manipulating Sparky. |
Diesel is the main antagonist of the 2006 computer-animated film A Car's Life: Sparky's Big Adventure and A Cars Life 2, and a supporting protagonist in A Car's Life 3: The Royal Heist. She is a hedonistic jeep who acts as a bad influence on Sparky.
She was voiced by Denise Finelli in the first film and Jean Richards in the sequels.
Biography[]
A Car's Life: Sparky's Big Adventure[]
Diesel was the girlfriend of Sparky's cousin Piston. Prior to the film, Piston mysteriously disappeared, leaving only his hubcap behind. Diesel later shows up at the gas station run by Sparky's father Fender, despite recently having her license revoked. Norbert the gas pump refuses to pump gas for Diesel since she was smoking, forcing her to leave. After Sparky comes out of the car wash looking bright red, Diesel sees Sparky and tells him he looks like a hot rod. She encourages him to get spruced up at Auto Swag, which he promptly does. This results in him being humiliated and Fender punishes him.
Later, Diesel comes over to check on Sparky and complements his new look, saying he looks just like Lance Hotrod the movie star, and encourages him to go see the film Hotrod Heaven at a midnight screening and gives him tickets. Sparky and his friend and coworker Speedy watch the film at the drive-by theater. During the screening, Sparky falls asleep, where two gas leeches attempt to sap away at his gas, but he wakes up and chases after them until his gas runs out. The next morning, after being towed back to the gas station and Fender grounding him, Diesel encourages Sparky to avoid daily maintenance and tells him of the Bad Lands, a place with no rules and he is free to do whatever he wants. Norbert tells Sparky to put on his parking break or he will tell his father, but Diesel silences him by using her cigarette to set his nozzle on fire which knocks him unconscious.
When Sparky and Speedy arrive in the Bad Lands, Sparky feels submental about his actions, only to be encountered by Diesel, telling them her engine ran out and requests assistance. When they get close to her, Diesel places parking boots on them and has the gas leeches (revealed to be her minions) drain out Sparky and Speedy's gas. Then her henchman Igor shows up who Diesel orders him to destroy them, starting with the annoying Speedy. As Speedy was being smashed, Diesel reveals to Sparky that she had Igor kill Piston so she could make a fortune off his scrap metal, and revealed her intention of chopping him up too. Before Igor could turn Sparky into scrap, the police car Clutch arrives with a rocket launcher, incapacitating Diesel by flipping her on her side. He then gives her a ticket, not for killing Piston or nearly killing Sparky and Speedy, but for driving without a licence, much to her dismay.
A Car's Life 2[]
Diesel is revealed to have begun development on her own gas station just down the street from Fender's. She offers Sparky a position at her gas station for a higher pay, but he turns her down so he could continue working with his dad. To test her gas, she tows Bumper to her gas station to try out her gasoline, which is stale and causes Bumper to release gas. Diesel also gives Bumper an extremely high bill.
Later, Diesel gives Sparky a ticket to see a circus located three hours away, making him worn out the next day and he falls asleep when a critic arrives. She takes the opportunity to have the critic examine her station instead, making it the best in town despite how faulty her gas is. Sparky decides the best way to go is to work for her. For the next few days, instead of paying Sparky, she swindles him into owing her money by pampering him with her wares.
Later, Diesel buys out the circus from earlier and forces Sparky and an employee to test out her new addition, the Jaws of Doom, forcing them to drive on a fast conveyor belt until one gives up and is crushed. Before the two grow too tired, Fender has Norbert toss in an explosive barrel, then pushes it into the Jaws of Doom that destroys the contraption. Enraged, Diesel sends the gas leeches towards Fender's station and attack Norbert. Clutch then shows up and once again arrests Diesel, this time for driving with an expired registration.
A Car's Life 3[]
Having apparently redeemed herself, Diesel no longer shows a grudge against Sparky or his business; instead, she volunteers as the host for a drag race for charity as part of community service. When the queen of Carlandia has her jewels stolen, Diesel offers her a stay at her gas station. At the end of the film, she cheers for Sparky when he wins the race.