They have been drawing cars since their early teens with the aim of coming up with something that has never been done before. Layton Madiope, 23, and John Ledwaba, 26, both work nine-to-five jobs that barely pay the bills at home, but behind the scenes they have a dream and a talent that they hope will take them places one day.
Armed with a diploma in engineering from the African Academy of Design in Boksburg, Madiope said he’d put his skills to good use and designed what he believed would be the future of electric cars.
“I have always wanted to do something different, something people have never seen before, so I started designing these different cars and taught myself how to draw them.”
In his engineering design course, Madiope said, he specialised in mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as structural design.
His partner Ledwaba, who is also from Thembisa, said he was passionate about technical drawing in high school and designed cars in his spare time.
However, these young men’s dreams of designing cars for their favourite brand will be a mountain to climb because South Africa’s automotive industry has limited design facilities.
South Africa imports the designs for most of the cars on our roads, which means these talented men will have to go abroad to realise their dreams, as did motorcycle designer Pierre Terblanche, who now lives and works in Italy.
Madiope recognises this sad reality, but believes that if they work hard enough and make the sacrifices required to succeed, then their goals can be achieved.
Clynton Yon, general manager of communications at Fiat and Alfa Romeo, said that from a design point of view, there was no scope for development in South Africa for most of the major manufacturers.
He said Fiat designs were mostly created in Italy, however, that was likely to change as the company expanded its design footprint to Brazil, where new unique designs would be produced.
Jaco van Loggerenberg, media liaison manager at Optimal Energy, believes that the success of an individual’s designs depends on whether they are feasible and can be sold.
Optimal Energy is a leading player in the electric vehicle industry in South Africa and introduced the first local electric car, known as the Joule.
Van Loggerenberg said electric vehicles accounted for a small portion of the total market of the automobile industry, and the trick was to design something that worked, was affordable and looked good.
He added that what Optimal Energy looked for in designers was an eye for future concepts, an awareness of where the designs and the industry were headed and a passion for cars.
Annelise van der Laan, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz SA - one of Madiope and Ledwaba’s favourite brands - said the company felt honoured that its brand ignited passion and sparked inspiration in people. - Business Report