Structure of Data-Driven Business Models for the Circular Automotive Sector: A Taxonomy

Authors

Hannah Scheerer
TU Dortmund University image/svg+xml
Hendrik van der Valk
TU Dortmund University image/svg+xml , Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering image/svg+xml
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.4.2026.33

Synopsis

Companies in the automotive sector are under increasing pressure from stricter regulations, shifting customer expectations, and ambitious sustainability goals. The circular economy (CE) provides a promising pathway to address these challenges by promoting resource efficiency, lifecycle extension, and closed material loops. Meanwhile, data-driven business models (DDBM) enable enhanced transparency, optimization, and innovative value creation through digital technologies (DT). While the integration of circular strategies and data-driven approaches has significant transformative potential, circular DDBMs remain scarce in the automotive industry and lack systematic conceptualization. To address this gap, this study develops a taxonomy that structures the current landscape of circular DDBMs using a rigorous, iterative methodology. The resulting taxonomy, based on 42 empirical cases, comprises six meta-dimensions, 16 dimensions, and 68 characteristics, offering a comprehensive framework for analyzing, comparing, and designing circular DDBMs in the automotive sector.

Author Biographies

Hannah Scheerer, TU Dortmund University

Hannah Scheerer is a research assistant at the chair of Industrial Information Management at the TU Dortmund University in Dortmund, Germany. She currently researches circular economy business models and their relation with data as well as the general transformation of incumbents from linear to circular business models. She holds a M. Sc. in Industrial Information Management from the TU Dortmund University. 

Dortmund, Germany. E-mail: hannah.scheerer@tu-dortmund.de

Hendrik van der Valk, TU Dortmund University, Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering

Hendrik van der Valk is the chief engineer at the chair of Industrial Information Management at the TU Dortmund University in Dortmund, Germany. He also works as a part-time job as scientific coordinator at the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering, Dortmund. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from TU Dortmund University

Dortmund, Germany. E-mail: hendrik.van-der-valk@tu-dortmund.de

Volume

39th Bled eConference: Co-Creating Human-Centred and Responsible Digital Futures; Conference Proceedings

Pages

537-554

Published

June 5, 2026

Series

Bled eConference

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Scheerer, H., & van der Valk, H. (2026). Structure of Data-Driven Business Models for the Circular Automotive Sector: A Taxonomy. In D. Vidmar, A. Pucihar, M. Kljajić Borštnar, R. W. H. Bons, M. Glowatz, & H.-D. Zimmermann (Eds.), & (Ed.), 39th Bled eConference: Co-Creating Human-Centred and Responsible Digital Futures; Conference Proceedings (Vols. 39., pp. 537-554). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.4.2026.33