The use of rare earth magnets in interior permanent magnet synchronous machines increases the manufacturing cost of the motors used for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Total generated torque at maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) point could be increased by extracting more reluctance torque due to machine saliency instead of increasing stator current or the permanent magnet volume in the rotor. This paper focuses on the effect of permanent magnet V angle variation and the presence of strengthening rib on the torque at the MTPA and speed profile of the machine for a constant current space vector while keeping magnet volume and width of top ribs same in the machine. Finally, a design procedure is provided to select the near optimum V angle for a given magnet volume, which reduces the computations required without using complex optimization algorithms. © 2021 IEEE.