Take a Leica M11, remove the rangefinder and replace it with an EVF, shave the price by 10% (it’s still unaffordable) and you have the Leica M EV-1.
At the most basic level, you can get essentially the same sensor in the Sony a7CR for considerable less money, and get a similar shooting experience by adapting your M-mount lenses to fit. It won’t be as small, be as nicely built or say Leica on the front, but in purely pragmatic terms, it’ll be comparable.
I think that removing the rangefinder is like removing the main reason to buy a Leica M camera. I don’t see where that make sense. If you want to use M lenses but don’t care for the rangefinder, the above suggestion from DPReview will be probably more adequate, and anything else, the law of diminishing returns applies. And instead of a Sony, you can also use any other full frame mirrorless like a Nikon Z or Panasonic S.
This doesn’t mean Leica is abandoning the rangefinder though, but I still wonder who this camera is for except if you want to 12K.
One day I shot two rolls of film in a Leica M7. And I loved it.
Leica M7
25mm Biogon f2.8
Kodak BW400CN
The Leica M EV-1 will cost CA$12,315 as per one of my local stores, and should be available starting 23 October 2025 (ie today).
Post scriptum:
David Imel video Why Leica shed its most iconic feature (YouTube) explains the rangefinder quite well, but I’m not convinced the reasoning make sense.