Nikon filed patent 2011232502 in Japan for a 24-100mm f/1.8-2.6 lens which will probably be used in the Coolpix P300 replacement:
The current P300 model has a 24-100mm f/1.8-4.9 equivalent lens.
The Nikon P300 was announced on February 8th, 2011 and will probably be up for replacement in February 2012 (Coolpix cameras are usually refreshed in February and August)
