Bloomberg are reporting that Nikon plans to introduce a "new concept" SLR soon, possibly as early as this year.

The “new concept” model will probably have an enhanced function for video recording and may adopt the so-called mirrorless structure, Kimura said in an interview today in Tokyo. “It could be any time this fiscal year or the following year, as new models are starting to sell,” he said, declining to specify when the product will be available.

We already know that Nikon are looking at so-called "Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras", but this is the first time there's been any kind of timescale mentioned.

Nikon aim to boost interchangeable-lens camera sales by about 80% in the next 3 years, which would definitely mean a re-think of camera design - sales of "traditional" DSLRs are beginning to slow as markets reach saturation. To achieve their goals, Nikon need to compete with upstarts like the Panasonic GF1, Olympus EP-1 and the Sony NEX range. It looks like the next few years will be an exiting time for Nikon users!