Horizon Robotics has announced that its HSD V2.1 system, set for release, will feature a "full-scene reversing" function, according to a report by AutoLab. The feature is designed to handle reversing out of tight spots in various scenarios, including mountain roads, underground parking garages, and residential areas. This marks a notable step in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which have traditionally focused on forward driving.
Reversing to Escape: A Growing ADAS Capability
Reversing to escape is a common driving maneuver, but it has been a long-standing gap for ADAS. The challenge lies not in single-point perception but in understanding the entire scene and making strategic decisions between moving forward and backward. The report highlights that knowing when to reverse is as important as knowing how to proceed.
Several systems already support such functions. For instance, the 50-meter track-reversing feature, which retraces the vehicle's path to exit dead ends, is now widely available, even on budget models like the Arcfox Beta T1, priced around 70,000-80,000 yuan (about $9,900-11,300). Horizon's system for the SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 5S extends this to 120 meters, matching the capability of Huawei's ADS 5. The report notes that 120 meters is currently the industry's upper limit for track-reversing.
More advanced is reversing during narrow-road encounters, where the system must negotiate with oncoming traffic. AutoLab tested Yuanrong's IO4.0 beta on a Great Wall WEY Blue Mountain, which successfully reversed to create space when a parked car blocked the path, though it failed to ultimately pass. Huawei's ADS 5, tested on a Voyah Zhuiguang S, demonstrated more sophisticated behavior: after a standoff, it reversed to yield space for the oncoming car and then proceeded, showing a dynamic decision-making process.
Low-Cost Systems Can Also Reverse
Interestingly, such capabilities do not necessarily require high computing power. The Volkswagen Tayron L PHEV (plug-in hybrid), equipped with Zhuoyu's stereo camera system with only tens of TOPS of processing power, can reverse to yield space in parking garages during memory-parking mode, even though it lacks urban navigation assistance.
The proliferation of reversing-to-escape features signals a shift in ADAS evolution. For years, improvements focused on forward driving, but real driving, especially for L3/L4 autonomy, requires backward maneuvers too. The report suggests that as systems learn to "retreat to advance," they move closer to human-like driving intelligence.
AutoLab's tests, conducted over the past six months, show varying levels of competence. While some systems excel at the decision-making, others still have room for improvement in execution. The upcoming Horizon HSD V2.1 will be a test case for how far full-scene reversing can go.
