In this paper, a new asymmetric planar V-shaped magnet arrangement for a linear PM synchronous motor is proposed. Several magnet arrangements for the track of the proposed linear permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor such as un-skewed magnets, conventional magnet skew, and V-shaped planar magnets have been investigated. The performance results of the linear motor with skewed magnets are compared to those of previously designed PM linear synchronous motor with conventional un-skewed rectangular-shaped (CuSRS) magnets. The forcer is kept the same for all track structures and a thorough comparison is provided for low detent force and low force ripple with the CuSRS and proposed planar V-shaped magnet skew approaches.