Abstract: An asynchronous electric machine, having an iron core mounted on a shaft, squirrel bars and a short circuit ring connecting the bars at both ends of the rotor, and a stator having a coil winding provided with end turns exterior of the stator. A conductive body made of magnetizable or non-magnetizable material is mounted in the field of the stray magnetic flux pattern formed by the end-turns and the short circuiting ring, to increase losses, and thereby increase starting torque.