The plan is to increase production and enhance marketing efforts for AutoMart's hybrid cars to increase sales. The question asks for the statement that most weakens the view that this plan will lead to increased sales.
To weaken the argument, we need to show why increasing production and marketing will not lead to higher sales.
Answer Choices:
(A) AutoMart has sold every hybrid car it has produced, but its market share in the hybrid car segment has decreased over the last year.
This suggests that even if AutoMart increases production, it might not increase its market share or sales, as other competitors dominate the hybrid car market. This supports the claim that the plan may fail.
(B) The inventory of AutoMart hybrid cars awaiting shipment to dealerships has slightly decreased over the last year.
This only indicates that the cars are being shipped efficiently. It does not indicate anything about demand or future sales, making it irrelevant.
(C) AutoMart’s hybrid car brand is widely recognized due to its marketing, yet few consumers are aware that AutoMart is the manufacturer.
While it points to a branding issue, it does not directly address whether increasing production and marketing will fail to increase sales, so it is weakly related.
(D) Despite reducing the price of its hybrid cars, AutoMart has seen a decline in sales of these vehicles over the past year.
If reducing the price did not help increase sales, it suggests that increasing production and marketing may not work either. This strongly undermines the plan and is a strong contender.
(E) AutoMart’s hybrid model is one of three brands that have accounted for the majority of the increase in hybrid car sales over the last year.
This suggests AutoMart's hybrid model is performing well. If anything, it strengthens the argument that increasing production and marketing could lead to higher sales, so it does not weaken the argument.
The correct answer is (D). If reducing the price—a common and effective strategy—did not lead to higher sales, it strongly suggests that increasing production and marketing will also fail. While (A) also weakens the argument, it is less direct than (D) because it focuses on market share rather than sales performance.