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In order to continue the effort of converting traditional internal combustion engine (ICE)-based vehicles into hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV), it is important to consider a variety of design architectures in which hybrid-electric operation is achieved. Such architectures include power split, parallel, and series. Of the previously stated architectures, the Purdue EcoMakers of the EcoCar 2 international Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) have chosen a parallel-through-the-road architecture for their 2013 Chevrolet Malibu provided by General Motors. From this, the Purdue EcoMaker vehicle design will be used as a case study for the design challenges and optimization strategies that are experienced when choosing this specific architecture for a light-duty passenger vehicle. This paper will focus on the design procedure and structural analysis of the custom rear suspension cradle created by the Purdue EcoMakers.