German high-end carmaker Mercedes-Benz saw its sales in the second quarter fall by just under 4% to €36.7 billion ($39.8 billion), the Stuttgart-based firm reported on Friday. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) plummeted by almost a fifth compared to the same period last year, to just over €4 billion. The bottom line for the whole group fell by just under 16% to €3.1 billion. The adjusted margin before interest and taxes – in other words, the ratio of earnings in day-to-day business to sales – in the firm’s core car business was 10.2% from April to June. This was more than 3% below the …