A permanent magnet (PM) machine includes a rotor and a stator assembly. The rotor includes a plurality of permanent magnets disposed about an axis of rotation. The stator assembly includes a stator body, a plurality of coil sides and a plurality of sintered iron magnetic wedges. The stator body includes a plurality of stator teeth defining a plurality of stator slots, each stator slot having an inside position and an outside position, such that each of the plurality of stator slots includes a first plurality of inside positions, and a first plurality of outside positions. The first plurality of coil sides are disposed in each of the first plurality of inside positions and the first plurality of outside positions. The first plurality of coil sides correspond to a first power phase. The first plurality of coil sides are electrically coupled to one another by a first plurality of end-coils. The plurality of sintered iron magnetic wedges are disposed at the openings of at least one stator slot of the plurality of stator slots.