Oman’s total vehicle registrations edged up by 0.6% to 52,674 in the first half of 2016, from 52,370 units for the same period in 2015. Although there has been reluctance on the part of the people to spend on high-value products like vehicles in view of recent slackness in oil prices, the marginal growth shows that the trend is changing gradually. There is also a growing preference for small cars this year, thanks to an increase in fuel price (after deregulation of petrol prices from mid-January), cost of vehicles and maintenance cost. (Times of Oman)