SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Tesla Motors Inc. will report second-quarter earnings after the market closes on Thursday. Wall Street is upbeat about Tesla’s prospects, with analysts expecting the company to meet or exceed its goals and set itself up for a profitable second half of the year.

Investors will want to hear more from Tesla TSLA, +4.42% about the “gigafactory,” since an announcement on the battery factory’s location is overdue.

Focus is also on deliveries, particularly deliveries in Europe, believed to have plateaued, and in China, the world’s largest luxury-car market. Analysts expect second-quarter deliveries to be between 7,500 (meeting company’s guidance) and 7,800 cars. The company has set its sights on delivering 35,000 cars in 2014.

Investors also want to hear more about the crossover Model X marketing campaign and about a timeline for the mass-market Model 3. The Model 3’s production hinges on a cheaper battery to be manufactured at Tesla’s planned battery factory. Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas are vying to have the factory built within their borders.

Here’s what to expect:

Earnings: Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Tesla to report a second-quarter net loss of $55 million, compared with $31 million in the year-ago period. Adjusted to exclude one-time items, the electric car maker is seen posting a profit of 4 cents a share, compared with 20 cents a share in the year-ago period.

Revenue: Analysts forecast Tesla to report sales of $824 million, compared with sales of $551 million in the second quarter of 2013. For the full year, analysts are looking for sales to hit $3.8 billion.

Stock reaction: Tesla shares have gained 49% so far this year, although the bulk of the gains came in February and March (Tesla shares hit a record of $265 on Feb. 26, a week after releasing surprisingly strong fourth-quarter results and more details about its ‘gigafactory.’) Shares are up 73% in the past 12 months, and 13% in the past three months.

What to watch for: Anything pertaining to Tesla’s plans in China. “China remains the most significant driver of potential upside in (the second quarter of the year),” analysts at Wedbush said in a recent note to clients. China is the world’s largest luxury vehicle market, and “we hear Tesla’s traction is impressive,” the analysts said.

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