Porsche can barely keep up with demand for the all-new Macan sport-utility vehicle.

What’s hot and what’s not? One thing’s for sure: the U.S. new car market is back in gear after a chilly winter left many makers struggling with a shortage of buyers. But May saw shoppers flooding back into showrooms for what was one of the best months in a decade for the industry overall – and a number of players, notably including Jeep and Audi, set all-time records.

But, as always, the double-digit gains weren’t spread around uniformly. Volkswagen, for example, posted yet another decline, and appears to be losing even more momentum until its new, seventh-generation Golf hatchback finally reaches showrooms.

Credit relatively stable fuel prices for the strong demand for pickups, big SUVs and other fuel-chugging models. Surprisingly, despite finally getting some warm weather, however, a number of convertibles were decidedly cold, at least in terms of sales.

(New car sales soar in May. Click Here for the full story.)

Not all that long ago, the Jaguar F-Type was flying out of showrooms, but according to calculations by tracking service Cars.com, the F-Type S had a backlog of 236 days worth of vehicles on dealer lots, nearly four times the industry norm of a 60 to 65-day supply. And the F-Type V8 didn’t do much better, at 201 days, with the basic 6-cylinder Jag at 172 days.

The Jaguar F-Type has lost significant sales momentum in recent months.

Audi’s TTS was saddled with a 220-day backlog, while the BMW 640i xDrive convertible was loaded with 171 days of inventory. The outgoing 2014 Chrysler 200 convertible had a 166 day backlog, while the Infiniti Q60 convertible had a 158-day supply, only 11 days better than the hardtop version. In all, convertibles accounted for seven of the slowest-selling models in May.

As for the best-sellers? It was a mixed bag of products, starting with the all-new 2015 Porsche Macan, with only 5 days of inventory, and the redesigned 2015 Hyundai Genesis at 6 days. Of course, both models are still in ramp-up stage, so it’s a little early to tell if they’ll maintain that momentum as production increases.

(Porsche has big aspirations for the little Macan. Click Herefor more.)

The same can be said for several other new or significantly updated 2015 models on the list, such as the new Cadillac Escalade and Subaru WRX, at 9-days, and Subaru’s Forester with just 10 days of inventory.

But there were plenty of “older” products on the list, including the Mercedes-Benz S550, with a mere 8 days on hand, and the Chevrolet Corvette Coupe which has seen inventory levels barely move since last year’s introduction. Chevy dealers currently have just 13 days of Stingrays in stock.

Of the 22 models with 16 days of inventory or less, says Cars.com, 15 fall into Sport-Utility of Crossover-Utility Vehicle columns – if your include the Porsche Macan – and two more in the pickup list. There are a pair of hot hatches, and two luxury sedans, as well as a lone sports car, the Corvette.

(Nissan teases next week’s debut of new Frontier pickup. Click Herefor more.)

Of course, the list can be a bit misleading, some traditional market leaders, including the Ford F-Series, the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord among them, remained at the top of the list when counting actual sales. They’ve just got a lot more inventory flowing from factory to dealer. But the Cars.com charts are useful, if for no other reason than the fact that vehicles in short supply typically carry fewer incentives while retailers will work with buyers when they’ve got an inventory build-up on other models.

Here are the full Hot v Not lists:

May’s Hot List

  • 2015 Porsche Macan: 5 days
  • 2015 Hyundai Genesis: 6 days
  • 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550: 8 days
  • 2015 Cadillac Escalade: 9 days
  • 2015 Subaru WRX: 9 days
  • 2015 Subaru Forester: 10 days
  • 2015 Ford F-350 Crew Cab: 12 days
  • 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali: 12 days
  • 2015 Lexus RX 450h: 12 days
  • 2014 Chevrolet Corvette coupe: 13 days
  • 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport: 13 days
  • 2015 GMC Yukon Denali: 14 days
  • 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL450: 14 days
  • 2014 Toyota Highlander: 14 days
  • 2015 Chevrolet Suburban 4WD: 15 days
  • 2015 Ford F-250 Crew Cab: 15 days
  • 2014 Lexus GX 460: 15 days
  • 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop: 15 days
  • 2015 Acura RDX: 16 days
  • 2015 BMW X3: 16 days
  • 2015 Chevrolet Suburban 2WD: 16 days
  • 2014 Audi Q5: 16 days

May’s Cold List

  • 2014 Jaguar F-Type S convertible: 236 days
  • 2014 Audi TTS: 220 days
  • 2014 Jaguar F-Type V8 S: 201 days
  • 2014 BMW M6 coupe: 187 days
  • 2014 Jaguar F-Type: 172 days
  • 2014 BMW 640i xDrive convertible: 171 days
  • 2014 Infiniti Q60 coupe: 169 days
  • 2014 Chrysler 200 convertible: 166 days
  • 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander: 159 days
  • 2014 Infiniti Q60 convertible: 158 days

 

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