One site reader had a line in their email to me that resonated: "it seems simple: manufacturers just need to make something that resembles a Leica but costs less."
Hmm. Yeah, that's about right. We had a few stabs at that with film cameras, but for some reason none really with digital. Cosina, where are you? The recipe is simple: FM-10 body functionality, Leica M size but Nikon F-mount (yes I know that increases camera depth--Leica M mount would be okay, too, but this is a Nikon site so I want F-mount ;~), and a 12mp+ digital organ transplant. Don't get too hung up on making a rangefinder: since you're targeting your existing F-mount lenses (20mm, 40mm, 58mm, 180mm, etc.) and the customers for those, just make sure optional optical viewfinders are aligned properly (hot shoe over the lens center). No autofocus (but MF help), no fancy metering systems (centerweight, spot), no crazy deep menu systems, etc. Heck, you can even make life simpler for yourself and use a monochrome sensor so you don't have to build a complex imaging ASIC. Price it at US$2999 and it would sell decently and instantly sell out your lens line, too.