From the Wall Street Journal's Ahead of the Tape column:
Tesla Motors Inc. is really in rarefied territory now.Meanwhile, Mr. Musk is sounding a bit stressed:
That doesn’t refer only to its market value, which is nearly half that of General Motors Co. The dual-motor version of Tesla’s Model S has been clocked accelerating to 60 miles an hour at a faster pace than the legendary McLaren F1. The latter was the world’s fastest production car until a decade ago, and used ones fetch millions of dollars.
That is impressive, but it raises the question of whether Tesla the company can handle its speedy growth. In November, when reporting third-quarter results, management wrote that planned 50% unit growth in 2014 and again in 2015 is “unusual in the car industry.” No kidding.
Wednesday’s full-year results call should provide guidance on the delayed launch of the mass-market Model X, expected later this year, and financial targets. Even before hearing from management, the first two numbers investors will focus on are Model S deliveries and earnings per share.
Although expected earnings of 56 cents for 2014 would be down from 78 cents the prior year, the result would mark a second consecutive year in the black.
But that is on an adjusted, pro-forma basis. The company’s reported result will be negative, as it always has been. The gap is due to differences in the treatment of share compensation, leases and nearly $3 billion in convertible notes....MORE
Tesla CEO threatens firings after dismal China sales
One quick programming note: The time of the conference call was changed to 5:00 pm, EST.
