The first retail buyer of a Nissan Leaf in the state of Colorado drove it off the lot and into the slush in December.

The first retail buyer of a Nissan Leaf in the state of Colorado drove it off the lot and into the slush in December. This video begins with some thrilling footage of a Leaf winning a race on the winding road to the summit of Pike’s Peak in June. Then it cuts to the more mundane but more historic scene of Denver resident Derek Pasarelli taking the keys to his new Leaf at Empire Lakewood Nissan. A spokesman for the dealership said that customer interest in the Leaf has been “unbelievable.”

Did it really take until December for Nissan to deliver a Leaf in Colorado? Yes, and this adds some perspective to the yearly sales figures that Nissan and Chevy announced yesterday. According to Nissan, almost all of the 9,674 Leaf sales in 2011 took place in the seven initial launch markets, and the new EV is still not available in much of the country. The company says that the Leaf “will be available nationally by summer 2012.”

Image: Nissan