An employee pulls a cart stacked with packages at the Amazon.com Inc fulfillment center in Hyderabad, India Photo: VCG

Amazon unveiled plans Monday to be a bigger player in the auto sector, announcing partnerships that will put its Fire TV platform in vehicles and offer more services through its Alexa digital assistant.

In an announcement ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Amazon said it would allow car owners without built-in Alexa to add the smart assistant to the vehicle through a phone application.

The "Echo Auto" program for the voice assistant will roll out this month in at least 15 countries, Amazon said. Another new feature to be offered this year will allow motorists to fuel up by saying, "Alexa, pay for gas" at some 11,500 Exxon and Mobil stations.

The news comes with Amazon, Google and others battling for supremacy in the market for voice-connected technology for an array of smart devices. "At Amazon, we believe voice is the easiest, most natural way to interact with technology," the company said on Tuesday.