It's a mixed bag on a question like this. Some people use auto-blogs and directly monetize the traffic they generate because they get enough traffic either from one primary auto-blog, or from dozens to hundreds of smaller auto-blogs. Other people found bigger and better fish to fry, so they moved on to more successful models, or models with more obvious big paydays in the future.
The simple answer is yes, but those articulating their usage of these auto-blogs will be unlikely to reveal their "plugins," and more importantly, their implementation models - if they're serious players.
If all you do is sit around asking, "Can I make money this way," then the answer is no. Why not give it a go for yourself and find out? I don't know about others, but my own implementations went south about a year ago, so I don't use auto-blogs at this time anymore. Many others swear by them as powerful almost never-ending traffic sources. Build one, and see if a Genie pops out.
