Abstract: A stepping motor with toothed stator poles and toothed rotor poles is magnetically enhanced by locating permanently magnetized inserts in the spaces between the stator teeth and magnetizing the inserts transverse to the direction of movement of the rotor and substantially transverse to the direction in which the teeth extend. In a hybrid motor with a split and axially magnetized rotor, the inserts are magnetized to oppose the magnetization of the rotor. In a variable reluctance motor with an unmagnetized rotor, inserts are placed in both rotor and stator and magnetized to aid each other. Linear motors use either configuration.