Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In the midst of World War I in May 1916 he accepted directorship at Steyr, initially working at home and moving there permanently in 1917.

[1] Ledwinka returned to Tatra company (originally Nesselsdorfer-Wagenbau) in Kopřivnice (Nesselsdorf), then in Czechoslovakia, and between 1921 and 1937 he was their chief design engineer.

After WWII Ledwinka was accused of collaboration with the German occupation forces and jailed for five years in Czechoslovakia.

He designed the unique Haflinger for Steyr-Daimler-Puch, as well as the larger Pinzgauer High Mobility All-Terrain Vehicle.