Honda has started selling its redesigned N-Box minivehicle, or Kei car, in Japan.

The outgoing N-Box was the country's best selling vehicle model last year with 202,000 sales, beating the Toyota Yaris for top spot.

Honda said the newly launched third generation N-Box has a more refined exterior design and a more spacious and comfortable cabin while drivability has been improved with a more uncluttered field of vision.

It is also the first of its minivehicle models with Honda Connect, a communication system offering new generation connected technology.

The new N-Box has Honda Sensing advanced safety and driver assist technology as standard plus two additional features: Low Speed Brake Function and Unintended Acceleration Mitigation.

The N-Box is offered with two 660cc engines: a naturally aspirated VTEC unit with intake valve control or a turbocharged engine with an electric wastegate which allows fine adjustment of exhaust pressure.

The company said these engines had been refined in detail to “achieve high-quality and easy-to-handle characteristics”.

The N-Box competes with the Daihatsu Tanto and Move, the Suzuki Specia and Wagon R, Mitsubishi i-Miev and Nissan Roox.