Within the next hour, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] will release its first-quarter financial results.

We already know the company will be profitable, and that it sold "more than 4,750" Model S electric luxury sport sedans from January through March.

CEO Elon Musk has also said that Tesla is targeting a 25-percent gross margin on sales by the end of the year.

But here are some other things to look for:

  • Per-share profit: The consensus number on the Street is $0.04 [ACTUAL EARNINGS PER SHARE: $0.12]
  • Revenue: Expectations are that this will come in at about $500 million [ACTUAL REVENUE: $562 million]
  • Reservations: How much did the total number of U.S. reservations for Tesla cars fall?
  • Europe: As the company prepares to start selling in multiple European countries, how many reservations has it booked from there so far?
  • Revenue sources: Did Tesla break even on building and selling cars? Or was it profitable only because of two other sources of income: making electric powertrains for other car companies, and selling zero-emission vehicle credits?

We were asked to come on CNBC today to discuss the company before its earning call at 5 pm today.

The first couple of minutes of the video below shows CNBC automotive correspondent Phil LeBeau discussing some of the financials.

Then your faithful correspondent appears at the 1:44 mark, to talk more broadly about the challenges Tesla faces and what it's accomplished to date.

Meanwhile, if you're a Tesla Motors fan--and we know many of you are--stay tuned to the news tickers after the market closes today.

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