R2A Shutter & M Series

Dear Leica,

I was bemoaning that the R2A was somewhat noisy compared to the Leica M - and SteveR commented that:

"As for the VC R2A shutters, they are basically SLR designs, so the fact that they are much noisier than a Leica isn't surprising."

Okay. It does look like an SLR type shutter -

Can you tell me what goes into the cost of a current Leica body and why it costs as much as it does. After all, design goes back to the early part of the last century.

Or to put it another way - are they so expensive because they are expensive to make - or is it expensive because only a relatively small number will sell? Can't you make your real money on the lenses? If you sold the body "at cost" - couldn't you still make real money on the lenses, since more people would buy the bodies. Or is it too late for that now with the M mount patent gone.

Well, if you don't want to or can't answer - I'm sure that some of the Leica cognoscenti could clear up the M business model in two seconds flat.

Signed,

An ardent admirer