• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Tech

What to Watch for in Tesla’s Earnings

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 3, 2016, 11:52 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A month after revealing its mass market electric car and snagging 400,000 reservations for it, Tesla Motors will publish first quarter earnings results on Wednesday afternoon.

It’s that time of the year again when we get to see the inner workings and financials behind the buzzy events, rosy blog posts, and bullish tweets from master media manipulator Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

We already know there will be some bad news.

Tesla said right after its Model 3 launch event that it had missed its car delivery targets for the first quarter as of the beginning of April. That’s because Tesla has been slow at producing the Model X, a crossover electric SUV that has swooping doors and fancy seats. Musk has said several times that the company had shown “hubris” by trying to cram too many high end features in the first run of the car.

Tesla Motors Inc. Model X SUV Reveal
The Tesla Motors Model X sport utility vehicle. Photograph by David Paul Morris — Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photograph by David Paul Morris — Bloomberg via Getty Images

As a result of the Model X delays, Tesla (TSLA) had shipped 14,820 vehicles during the first quarter as of April 4. Only 2,400 of those were of the Model X. The company had actually been wanting to ship 16,000 cars total for the quarter.

On Wednesday, we’ll likely get an update on official shipments during the first quarter and if the company was able to boost the rate of its Model X car production even more over the last month. Will the Model X delays roll over into the second quarter? Tesla has previously said that despite the slow Model X ramp up, it’s still on track to deliver 80,000 to 90,000 cars to customers by the end of 2016.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

However, there have also been some quality issues with the first Model X cars that Tesla has been able to deliver. Consumer Reports reported last month that some of the earliest Model X cars have experienced problems with things like closing and opening the doors.

Those Model X customers have had to send those cars back to Tesla to be serviced. Tesla also recently issued a recall for all the Model X cars made before March 26 because of a faulty latch on a seat back. That recall meant that 2,700 Model X cars had to be fixed (at the expense of the latch and seat back supplier) within the past month.

While recalls are pretty commonplace in the auto industry, the Model X issues just take up the company’s time and money. Tesla customers—at this point in the company’s life cycle—are actually somewhat forgiving of these types of early adopter problems.

Now onto the Model 3, for which Tesla has received an overwhelming response: 400,000 reservations over the month, with customers waiting over night and many hours for the first reservations. That’s for a car that won’t be shipped until the end of 2017—and likely customers won’t get for many years. Of course, that’s great news for Tesla.

For more on Tesla fans and the Model 3, watch:

But the huge demand means that Tesla will likely have to change how it plans to produce the car. How it will tweak manufacturing plans are still unclear, and those plans are likely undecided upon by Tesla at this point.

This week, Silicon Valley Business Journal reported that Tesla had signed a lease for two large warehouse spaces—collectively giving Tesla another one million square feet—in Livermore, Calif., roughly 30 minutes from its Fremont factory. This could be part of Tesla’s new production strategy.

Perhaps Tesla will give us some insight into its future Model 3 productions plans—and this new space—during the Wednesday call.

The Tesla Model 3 front face.Photo courtesy of Katie Fehrenbacher/Fortune
Photo courtesy of Katie Fehrenbacher/Fortune

In addition to its car updates, expect Tesla to give us the latest news on the Gigafactory, its massive battery factory under construction outside of Reno, Nevada. The company has been showing off the part of the factory already completed to visitors, including Nevada legislators. We’re thinking Tesla will have a Gigafactory launch party sometime this summer.

Will anything be newly revealed on Tesla’s grid battery business on Wednesday? Tesla doesn’t only sell electric cars, but it packages up its batteries into stationary battery packs that can be connected to a building, a house, a solar panel or wind farm, or the power grid. These batteries can store energy, produce power when its needed, and help utilities better manage the power grid.

Tesla is far more focused on its electric car business, but perhaps the company will provide more details on Wednesday as to how many grid batteries already shipped.

Beyond all these moving parts, Tesla watchers should pay close attention to how much money Tesla is spending overall on its myriad of plans. Is the company still in line with its capital spending? Does it look like Tesla will need to raise more money, or draw down on more credit, to execute on everything? Potentially.

Tesla’s stock is down a little over 3% on Tuesday in advance of its earnings release. The company’s shares have sunk over the past several months as investors have grown worried about the Model X delays, among other things. If that’s an indicator of how Wall Street feels about Tesla right now, there could be a drop coming on Wednesday after Tesla’s predicted underwhelming car shipments.

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
11 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
12 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
13 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
In this photo illustration, a Cisco logo is displayed on a smartphone with Artificial Intellingence (AI) symbols in the background.
AICFO Daily
Cisco is rolling out AI agents to every single one of its 90,000 employees
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
senate
CommentaryCongress
One rare bipartisan AI bill is moving through Congress. Here’s why it deserves to pass
By Neil Björkman and Betsy BrewerJuly 1, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
21 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
19 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
15 hours ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.