From what I can tell, a majority (Im talking about >60% if not more) of the playerbase are PvE players. Lets face it: AW's gameplay is not fundamentally different to WoT (WT is its own thing), and most people played AW rather than WoT because they are:
A. Sick and tired of the BS in WoT and WT (Looking at you, WG and Gaijn)
B. Doesn't like the PvP-centric gameplay of WoT (or indeed other WG projects) /WT, and want something modern + PvE
Allow me to be blunt: AW's chances of beating WG at their own game is very slim. Yes, PvP in this game has its own unique twist, but fundamentally it plays just about the same as WoT, just with modern tanks - why wouldn't I just go play WoT instead if I really want to play PvP? WoT unquestionably is much more polished, has a larger playerbase, and in general they are just the established game in the genre, and it would be very difficult to compete with them without significant resources being put into it (and not guaranteed to succeed).
However, in my humble opinion anyway, AW survived this long because it always has one thing WoT, and indeed WT doesn't have - a PvE side of the game that is not only viable, but actually pretty damn good for what it is. Operations, Spec Ops, Glops (personally not a fan but there sure is a playerbase around that), Heroics - lots of variety and perfectly viable for grinding.
Yeah sure its definitely not perfect and sometimes cheesy, but then you look at the disaster that is WG's attempt at PvE mode (e.g. Road to Berlin is nothing but a cash-grab grinding mode that is repetitive and obnoxious), or WT's borderline "PvE" mode in Air/Ground Assault, which is basically just a tower defense mode with a fancy name - AW is so much better in this regard.
Do I think the developers should kill off PvP? Probably not, because there is also some attraction there, and I would be perfectly happy to see occasional love to the mode (new maps, balance changes). But I am telling you - PvE is this game's niche. Its what makes this game attractive to people looking for an alternative to the PvP centric military/tank MMO out there. Rather than trying to imitate what somebody else does, why not do what you do best and make the most of it?