It was a closer relationship between Leica & Minolta
The Leica CL and Minolta CLE were effectively the same camera and the electronic and shutter units for the Leica R4 were the same ones Minolta fitted to their XD range of cameras.
Even now, Leica go in for "technology sharing". Their compact cameras are Panasonic Lumix models with a restyled body. The flip side of this is that most Panasonic cameras claim to have Leica lenses. They're probably manufactured under licence in China, but they still carry the Leica name. The key difference between the Leicas and their Panasonic equivalents is the price - the Panasonics are MUCH cheaper.
( Snappyuk gets BIGGER with free sample., Mon 8 Nov 2010, 19:52, Reply)