Investing pros say strong quarterly numbers that beat already lowered expectations aren’t likely to move the richly valued stock. Rather, Tesla needs one of two things to drag its shares out of their rut: Concrete signs of progress on its robotaxi plans or a shiny new object from Musk’s playbook that moves the goalposts for the company and resets the timer to show results.

Tesla’s surging valuation reflects Wall Street’s immense faith in Elon Musk’s AI and robotics vision, even as the company’s core automotive fundamentals face significant pressure.

Tesla’s problem is that right now it’s a company that manufactures cars, trucks, solar panels and energy storage systems. Its AI vision is years, if not decades, away from generating sales, much less profits.

Tesla Inc. shares climbed 33% in September as investors rallied around Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s renewed focus on the company. That’s drawing attention to whether the key third-quarter sales figures coming later this week will be strong enough to sustain the momentum.