An airplane engine manufacturer developed a new engine model with safe

B. This shows customers consider safety features, only that they do not know of the new engine's superior safety

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An airplane engine manufacturer developed a new engine model with safety features lacking in the earlier model, which was still being manufactured. During the first year that both were sold, the earlier model far outsold the new model; the manufacturer thus concluded that safety was not the customers’ primary consideration.

Type- weaken

(A) Both private plane owners and commercial airlines buy engines from this airplane engine manufacturer. - Irrelevant
(B) Many customers consider earlier engine models better safety risks than new engine models, since more is usually known about the safety of the earlier models. - Correct
(C) Many customers of this airplane engine manufacturer also bought airplane engines from manufacturers who did not provide additional safety features in their newer models. - Out of scope
(D) The newer engine model can be used in all planes in which the earlier engine model can be used. - Strengthens the argument by eliminating an alternate cause
(E) There was no significant difference in price between the newer engine model and the earlier engine model. - Strengthens - price difference was not the reason

Answer B

The manufacturer and customers remain the same, only the model of engine has been changed for the better. New safety features have been added. Logically , the sales of new engine should be more than for old engine type. But what happened was opposite of this. On the basis of this , the engine maker concludes that perhaps the customers themselves don't bother about safety, because otherwise they would have bought more of new engine type.

We are asked to find a weaken option choice for this conclusion drawn by the engine maker. I am trying to think what actually motivates the customer to still buy the the old type engine. Can there be any other factor which the passage has not mentioned. Or may be the sales data itself has some or the other logical flaw which we do not know of. Ideally I must not argue against what is given, but if I see there is a process error done by the sales analyst team and they by mistake got wrong figures, then obviously such a conclusion cannot be drawn.

Moving to the options :

1) Both private and commercial airlines are the customers of this engine maker. But are we told anything else here. Who the customer is doesn't tell us why the customers bought less of new engine type, specifically because we again lack more information here. Incorrect choice.

2) This option tells us about one mindset factor of the customers which actually might have led them to believe and trust more the old engine type. If this is the case, can we say then that the customers were not safety conscious... I don't think so we can now say that strongly.. perhaps they actually are safety conscious, that is why they are bothering to buy old engine type only . This option choice weakens the conclusion . A possible correct choice.

3) This option seems to add weight to the conclusion. If many customers actually bought from other engine makers who did not increase safety features, then we again have a doubt on the customers behavior. Perhaps they are in real less safety conscious as the engine maker has concluded. Incorrect choice.

4) This option choice actually rules out a possible reason for not choosing new engine type. The plane engines currently in use by the customers can be easily changed to the new type. So, a customer cannot make that excuse for not buying new type engine. This actually adds more weight to the conclusion. Incorrect choice.

5) This option choice again rules out one factor for not choosing new engine type - the factor of cost. If the new engine type was way too costly than old engine type, a customer could make that excuse for not buying the new type engine. In that case, it would have been difficult to mask the customer as less safety conscious. But now we know that this is not the case. Hence incorrect choice.

Answer should be B.

This is the quick solution I came up with:

Conc: Safety was not the customers’ primary consideration.

(A) Both private plane owners and commercial airlines buy engines from this airplane engine manufacturer - This option answers the question "Who buys engines from the manufacturer?" However, it doesn't explain or provide further information on the consideration of these customers. Drop

(B) Many customers consider earlier engine models better safety risks (didn't understand) than new engine models, since more is usually known about the safety of the earlier models. What does better safety risks even mean? :/ Well, we still get the gist of the option. This option states that - Customers are purchasing the older model because they do consider safety before purchasing engines and in this case, since they are well versed with the risks of the older model more than the newer one. No arguments on this one. Keep 

(C) Many customers of this airplane engine manufacturer also bought airplane engines from manufacturers who did not provide additional safety features in their newer models. This just strengthens the argument of the manufacturer. Drop

(D) The newer engine model can be used in all planes in which the earlier engine model can be used. Then the question becomes, why are customers not using the newer model instead assuming they are safety conscious? This information has no impact. Drop

(E) There was no significant difference in price between the newer engine model and the earlier engine model. Same as above. No need to think too much. Drop