If not to weaken Airbus's position in the global market, isn't that pretty much the case? In this time of high fuel prices, isn't trying to sell a giant like the A380 just like trying to sell the gas guzzling suvs? Not to mention the time wasted on developing the A380 might have been better spent on developing smaller more fuel efficient aircraft.
The key is that the A380 wasn't built to satisy a market. Rather it was created to compensate for the Euro leaders inadequate members.