On the back of the newly redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler has posted an operating profit of $239M for the third quarter of 2010. On a net basis, Chrysler lost $84M, this is down from a $172M loss in Q2.

""A year ago, Chrysler Group ordered out clear and concise five-year financial goals, and after three consecutive quarters of better than forecasted results, we are not only living up to our commitments but we are also exceeding our 2010 financial objectives,"  said Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in a statement.

Chrysler now estimates it will turn a  $700M operating profit for the year, up from +/- $0 (not a typo), and will return a positive cash flow of $500M, up from the early estimate of negative $1 billion.

I'm no economist, but there's got to be something exciting / terrifying about trying to run a company that has a projected cash flow of -$1,000,000,000. That's a big ship with a lot of momentum and in the next 16-or-so months, Chrysler has a float of new products that could lead to a Chrysler profit headline without the "net" qualifier.

For a more in-depth assessment, see Edmunds AutoObserver.

Let's say you've got a brand that's got a bad reputation. Let's say your parent company has had a rough few years and your particular brand is more commonly titled in conjunction with retirement than with passion and excitement. And let's say you've got a pretty solid product just solicitation for people to take a look? What do you do to get Gen-Y to acknowledge your existence? Free booze? A free concert? A big party in Boston, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago and Miami?

If you're Buick and you've got the new, Acura TSX / Audi A4 fighting Buick Regal GS, that's exactly what you do.

Buick calls the tour the Regal Remix and if you're addicted to Thrillist, you've seen the updates and ads. Free drinks, a free show, free appetizers (free valet in some) and your chance to stare at / paw in the entire line of Buick vehicles without salesmen or pressure. Chances are, these are the first Buicks most have been in and Buick is hoping they're impressed.

Late last week, we attended the Buick Regal Remix event in Miami which featured the release of the 2012 Buick Regal GS. By now you've read all about it, but here's a brief recap: Turbocharged 255-horsepower Ecotec inline-4, 20-inch rims, six-speed manual transmission, front wheel drive, push-button start, Brembo brakes.

But this event didn't really cover that. They mentioned the 255-horsepower, they talked about the other vehicles in the Buick line, but this was no timeshare scam. No hard sell, no hand-outs, no, well, anything. The presentation by Buick took less than five minutes– during which time the open bar was still open and the snacks were still being passed out– and then it was a free 90-minute concert by the Plain White Ts. "This is the longest show we've ever played," said the band who hasn't been touring this year to work on a new album "but Buick paid us to play 90 minutes and we're gonna try!"

Not only did they try, but the few hundred in attending got two hours of the band who, obviously, concluded their set with "Hey There Delilah," and played a few unreleased tracks from their new disc.

And in case you're wondering, the band only mentioned Buick twice, once with the aforementioned quote and the second time before the last song when they thanked everyone for showing up and Buick for hosting a free party.

So did it work? Who knows. But as you can see above, there are more smartphones in that one shot than owned by all current Buick drivers combined, that has to be good. And when these people go to buy a new car — unless they had too many Regal Remix cocktails — will remember this night, that they got to sit in some nice cars and that Buick place it on. Really, when was the last time you saw girls diversion in front of the open hood of a Buick?

If the Regal Remix goes to your town, don't miss out. It's free. What else do you need to know?

This is one of the coolest things I saw at the 2010 SEMA Show, but the only problem is you can't get it yet. The eBay Motors app for iPhone will be released in the first quarter of 2011 and the developers I spoke with at the company's SEMA booth said it will be acquirable for other smartphone platforms such as Android and BlackBerry shortly afterwards.

The app is meant for car shoppers, but it's designed with car enthusiasts in mind. While you can search vehicles and parts by year, make and model, the app can also be set to show only the type of vehicles you're most interested in — exotics, classics, muscle cars, etc. — and the specific parts that go with them. It also allows saving certain vehicle profiles and matching the search for parts and accessories to them.

The eBay Motors app also has cool social media components. Members can create "car cards" for their own vehicles that display photos and stats and that can be used for parts and accessories searches. And if you're too lazy to fill in all the info on your ride, VIN scanning provided by RedLaser within the app will pre-fill the vehicle data for you. Car cards can be saved to an in-app "garage" and wirelessly shared with others enthusiasts or posted to social media sites.

#SEMA. Maybe your granddad had a hula girl on his dash, and that may have been considered risque back in the day. But the modern-day greaser needs to have something more shocking. Enter the Pole Girls.

The creator, ClingBling, says that they "change position and spin and you accelerate and brake." And you can insert an optional cherry-scented air fresher … no word if they're shaped like dollar bills.

The American Shifter Company produces many different kinds of knobs to top off your favorite manual transmission. It makes your run-of-the-mill cue balls, your H-patterns, all the usual stuff.

And then there are these skulls. Perfect for when you want your passengers to think you're some kind of lunatic, bad-ass that's one annoying comment away from driving into a bridge abutment. At least the skull is wearing a helmet.

Not much to say. The guy was a legend in Toyota City and died behind the wheel of an LFA, the car he had a huge hand in developing. Not a bad way to go out.

Remember this thing? It showed up at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show looking like some kind of carbon-fiber, electric insect. It was called the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept and it boasted a diesel hybrid drivetrain that theoretically gave it supercar performance and low emissions.

It looked like so much hope and fantasy at the time, but now BMW says it has built a road going version that signals its intent to near ahead with its production. Although the company called it a "serial production car" don't get your hopes up just yet. It's still calling this car a study, so what you see here may not be what BMW delivers down the road.

Still, it's a big lump of technology stuffed into a pretty interesting design. There's a three-cylinder diesel engine and a two electric motors that combine for a total of 328 horsepower. BMW says it's good for a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 4.8 seconds.

Given its position as a "study" this car probably won't arrive in true production for another two or three years. By then BMW should have all the bugs worked with the drive system and could deliver one of the first truly capable "green" sportscars from a major manufacturer.

A circumnavigation of the globe by two Ford Fiestas has reached a dramatic conclusion in Sydney, Australia. The two Fiestas, driven by alternating crews of journalists, have travelled more than 15,000 miles through 21 countries and four continents. The epic convoy kicked off from Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles and travelling easterly toward New …   Read full blog

Walking around Ford's massive booth in the center hall I naturally stumbled crossways Ken Block's Gymkhana Three Ford Fiesta. Then, in the next room, I stumbled crossways it's twin, which flat out embarrases Block's overpowered organisation when it comes to power to weight ratios.

Meet the Traxxas Rally VXL Brushless Ken Block Gymkhana Fiesta. This thing (and all its counterparts which don't wear Block/Monster regalia) look like serious fun. What's more, the 1/16-scale RC car is good for a solid 50 mph when properly equipped with Traxxas mods. Holy crap. Maybe we'll ask Traxxas to send us one for testing.

Traxxas licensed the Fiesta body, Monster logos and Volk TE37 wheels so it looks exactly like the real thing. Even the knockoff video looks right.