Abstract: A sensorless position estimation and control system and method for a permanent magnet electric motor of a powertrain system of a vehicle involve determining a reference torque to be achieved by the electric motor based on a set of vehicle operating parameters, determining a reference current magnitude to achieve the determined reference torque using a lookup table, determining current commands for the electric motor based on the determined reference current magnitude and a fixed reference current angle, injecting a high frequency voltage into a voltage control loop for the electric motor and estimating, by the controller, a position of a rotor of the electric motor thereafter, and controlling a current provided to the electric motor based on the determined current commands and the estimated rotor position.